Layers
by My-Darling-Clara-Oswald
Summary: There are new cases coming in everyday. They solve them. They go home. Why is this one any different? Please review! I'd love to see thoughts! xD
1. Introduction

**Hey guys! This is my new story, "Layers". The Introduction isn't going to have any Beckett, Castle, or any other main character stuff in it. It's just going to be focused on the situation that has Beckett called in for in Chapter 1 and the whole background area of the story. So, enjoy! –E**

**xD**

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><p>Maeve was a quiet girl. She didn't have many friends, except for Sophie, who's been close to her since the Second Grade. Sophie didn't know that Maeve had a secret. No one knew.<p>

Ever since Maeve's father died in 2008, her mother had become violent. Her father had died from something he had kept from both of them. So, naturally, Maeve's mother didn't do to well with secrets and lies. Every time her mother had found out about something and didn't hear it from Maeve herself, Maeve would be punished.

As Maeve and Sophie walked down the sidewalk, on a seemingly normal day, towards home, Maeve had something on her mind.

"What am I going to tell my mom?" she asked.

"About what?" Sophie responded.

"Sean," she said obviously.

"Oh, right, that. Um, why don't you just tell her? You said she doesn't like it when you keep secrets, right?"

Maeve shuddered at the memory of the last time that happened. "Right," she responded.

"So, tell her," Sophie said.

Maeve's mind kept flashing back to last week when she forgot to mention that she got a C on her report card. "You're right. I'll tell her when I get home." She said. All would be okay because she wasn't going to keep this secret.

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><p>Maeve's mother, Darcy Fitz, had been raised in old Irish tradition. She had been taught lessons when she disobeyed or kept things from her parents. And ever since the secrets and lies began to come out, it started to get more intense. She sent her to catholic school when she was younger. Maeve thought it was a waste of time but she wouldn't dare let her mother know that. Because of her childhood, hitting Maeve was the only way she knew how to deal with punishment.<p>

Ms. Fitz had been cleaning the dishes when the house phone rang. She put the dishes down and picked it up. "Hello?" she answered.

"Hi, is Maeve there?" the voice on the other end asked.

"She'll be home from school soon. May I ask whose calling?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's Sean, her boyfriend." He said.

"Really?" she asked curiously. Darcy hadn't heard anything about a boyfriend. Not a peep. "Well, Sean, I'll have her call you when she gets home." She told him.

"Thank you, Ms. Fitz," he said before hanging up the phone. She put the phone back on the hook angrily just as the front door opened.

"Mom, I'm home! I've got to talk to you." Maeve announced walking into the kitchen.

"Really? Me too," she said. Maeve could hear the hint of anger in her mother's voice. She was beginning to feel scared.

"You know, don't you?" she asked. Maeve's shrugged her shoulders.

"About your secret boyfriend? Yeah, he called." She told her.

"I told him not to do that." She told herself. "I swear, mom, I was just about to tell you right now. I was even going to break up with him. It wasn't really working out." She said, backing away slowly.

"And how long have you been dating this boyfriend?" her mother asked, getting closer.

She put her head down while still backing away. Lifting it, she said, "A month." Finishing her answer, she felt a surge of pain hit her cheek and she screeched.

"And you kept this from me because?" she asked.

Maeve hesitated. "I don't know. I just did." Another hit.

"Wrong answer," said Darcy. Maeve's eyes widened and she ran. She had never run before but after last time, she had to. She ran anywhere she could to get away. From the living room, to the hall, and back to the kitchen. Her mother got there a second later but Maeve had already thought ahead. She had spotted a knife on the kitchen counter. As Darcy approached her, she held it in front of her. Her mother laughed. "Come on, stop playing. You couldn't hurt a fly. Now, give me the knife, child."

Maeve hesitated, thinking. "Okay," she said and threw the knife into the sink and ran. She didn't get far, however, because as she reached the stairs, her mother caught hold of her arm and threw her to the ground. Darcy kneeled to the ground and pinned her arms to the floor. Maeve didn't know what to do besides try and struggle as hard as she could. She started trying to push her arm out of her mother's grasp. After washing the dishes, Darcy's hands were smoother than usual. And because of the force Maeve was using to push her arm up, her hand slipped. Maeve's fist immediately flew up and hit her mother on the side of her head. As the contact was made, Darcy fell away from Maeve and onto the hard floor, unconscious. Maeve quickly stood up, staring at the scene in front of her, eyes wide with fear. Thinking quickly, she dialed 911 and left the phone off the hook. And with one last look, frightened, she ran to her closet to hide.

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><p><strong>I hope you liked it! I'm going to save you some time by saying, "This is a Castle Fan Fiction! They will be in the next chapter! I swear! If I'm lying, may Beckett die in the season premiere!" There, now you know I'm telling you the truth. I'd never want Beckett to die! Anyways, the button below means exit. Just click it….click iiiiittttt… -E xD<strong>


	2. Chapter 1: Little Wonders

**Hey! Here's the first chapter! Unlike the Introduction, it has way more characters we all know and love. So, enjoy! -E**

**xD**

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><p>What Kate Beckett hated more than anything was her phone ringing <em>right<em> when she was about to take a nice, warm bath. It just flat out annoyed her. Looking at the caller I.D., she answered her phone. "Beckett," she said.

"I can tell by the tone of your voice that I caught you at a bad time but the same thing happened to me so, deal with it." Lanie replied.

"Yeah, Lanie, I know. Just give the address."

"Well, a little crabby today, aren't we?"

"Lanie-," she warned.

"Alright, alright. Apartment 27B in the Brooklyn flats downtown."

"Okay, I'll be there in 10." She told her.

"Alright, see you then, crabby." She said.

"Watch it," Beckett said, hanging up her phone. "I swear, sometimes it feels like people commit murder just to get under my skin," she told herself, grabbing her jacket and walking out her apartment door.

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><p>A few minutes later, Beckett walked underneath the yellow tape and through the apartment door. It was a nice enough place. Somewhere in-between her apartment and Castle's. She spotted Lanie somewhere near the kitchen and walked over to her. "Alright, Lanie, what have we got?"<p>

"First, has your attitude improved?"

"Lanie, enough," she stated.

"I'm going to take that as a no." she assumed. Kate looked at her with annoyance. "Right," Lanie continued, "Her name is Darcy Fitz. She lives here. Along with a child, I assume, because of the little girl's room upstairs. I'm still not sure how she died, though. Her frontal lobe has been hit pretty hard but not enough to kill her. Plus, the hand that did it looks to small to kill anything."

"Do you have an _idea _as to what killed her?" she asked.

"I'm going to have to take a closer look at the lab but I don't see any wounds other than that one." She finished.

"Okay, have all the rooms been accounted for?" Kate asked.

"Yes," Lanie nodded looking at her sheet, "Oh, wait. No. It looks like there's a closet that uniforms didn't check. It's in the kid's room. Could you check that?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure," she replied. She walked up the stairs and to the little girl's room. It had a couple of posters on the walls, most of children's programs but that was it. As she walked around more, she spotted a copy of _Heat Wave_ on her beside table and let out a small laugh. She turned around and spotted the closet door with a sign that said 'KEEP OUT!' on it. She wondered if the uniforms might have taken it seriously when they had checked the rooms earlier. She turned the doorknob and slowly walked in, turning on the light when she got inside as it was a little dark. It was a seemingly normal closet. On the left were a couple of school uniforms. She must go to a private school. Everything seemed in order except for one thing that Beckett noticed at the end of the closet. Poking out from behind a bunch of hanging dresses, were a pair of feet, dressed in white socks and dress shoes. Kate's eyebrows crinkled together as she moved closer.

"Hello?" she asked. And immediately, the feet withdrew back behind the dresses. She moved a little closer and pushed the dresses aside, revealing a little girl. "Hi," Kate said.

"Hello," she replied.

"What's your name?" Kate asked, kneeling down to her level.

She hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Maeve," she told Kate.

"Maeve, that's pretty. Can you tell me how old you are?" she asked.

"Eight," she said. "Are you a cop?" she asked.

Kate nodded. "I'm a detective."

"Am I in trouble?" Her eyes looked like she had been crying.

"What for?" she asked back.

"For hitting her?" She was trying hard not to cry. Beckett noticed. "I didn't mean to. Did I kill her?"

"No, sweetie, it wasn't you. She died from something else. Was she your mom?" Maeve nodded. They didn't look anything alike. Darcy's hair was ginger while Maeve's was a medium brown. "Can you tell me why you hit her?" she asked.

Maeve nodded. "She was going to hit me like last time. And I didn't want her to," she said.

"Why was she going to hit you?" she asked.

Maeve looked up. "I didn't tell her that I got a C on my report card." She told her. "I was scared. I swear, I didn't mean to."

"I know. It's okay." She said, pushing a strand of hair behind Maeve's ear. "Do you think you could come downstairs with me?" Maeve thought for a moment.

"I don't want to see that again," she told her.

"How about I hold you? You won't have to look," suggested Kate. She nodded. "Okay, come on." Maeve stood and Kate picked her up. To avoid what was downstairs, Maeve buried her head in Kate's hair. Kate walked downstairs, met eyes with Lanie, and nodded, silently telling her that it was the little girl to whom the upstairs room belonged to. Lanie nodded back. Kate walked out of the apartment, Maeve still in her arms, and down to her car.

"Are we out of the apartment?" asked Maeve.

"Yeah, it's okay." She put her down when they got to her car. "We're going to go down to the precinct. Is that okay?" asked Kate. Maeve nodded. "Okay, hop in," she said, opening her car door. Maeve climbed inside and Kate closed the door. After starting the car, she drove them to the precinct.

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><p>When they got to the upstairs bullpen, Maeve smiled for the first time since Kate had seen her. She followed her gaze to Richard Castle, who sat at her desk, playing with her elephants. Figures. She <em>did <em>have a copy of _Heat Wave_. "Do you want to go say hi?" she asked. Maeve nodded quickly. She took her hand and led her to her desk. "Castle, I have someone who wants to meet you."

Castle turned around to see Maeve walking towards him, hand in hand with Kate. "Well, hello," he said.

"Hi," Maeve said, "I'm Maeve. I read _Heat Wave _a bunch of times."

"Well, thank you," he said and then a thought hit him, "Have you read the _whole _book?"

"I talked to a bunch of people and thought it was safe to skip pages 103-107." She said.

"Good thinking," said Castle, lifting up his hand and Maeve high-fived it.

Kate smiled and said, "Hey, Castle. Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," he said, getting up.

"Maeve, you go ahead and sit in my seat until we come back, okay?" she asked.

"Okay," Maeve replied and they walked away.

"What's up?" Castle asked.

"Well, right now, we're investigating the death of her mother, who abused Maeve." She told him.

"Oh, gosh. That's terrible." Said Castle.

"Yeah, but here's the thing, they look absolutely nothing alike." She said, and held up a picture of Darcy.

"Whoa, how is she her mom?" he asked.

"I don't know, but I'm going to," she said, making a beeline towards Ryan and Esposito. "Guys, I need you to look into the relationship between Maeve and her mother, Darcy." They nodded and she went back to her desk. She slowed down, however, when she saw Maeve and Castle having their own conversation.

"Here," Castle started, "Give me your hand." Maeve extended her hand as he took a pen from her pencil cup. He drew a heart on her palm and began speaking again. "Now, whenever you feel lonely or upset, you'll always have Nikki Heat with you." He said, finishing the heart.

"Thanks," said Maeve. Kate smiled. Castle was sweet when it came to kids or even girls in general. He always knew the right thing to say.

"Maeve," she said. Maeve looked up at Kate. "Want to come with me for a second?" she nodded and walked towards her.

"Oh, wait," she stopped her and turned around, running back to Castle and giving him a big hug. After letting go, she picked up her backpack and ran back to Kate, grabbing hold of her hand and walking off. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"To see a fun doctor," Kate replied.

"Why?"

"If you're related to the person that died, you have to get a test just in case."

"Are they going to stick something in my arm?" she asked.

"Oh no, they are just going to stick a cotton swab in your mouth and take a bunch of your spit," she told her.

"Eww," she said disgusted.

"I know, it's pretty gross, huh?" Kate asked. She smiled and nodded. Kate laughed. "Come on," she said, leading her to the elevator.

'There had to be some connection between Maeve and Darcy that made sense.' Kate thought. 'Something that tied this together' and whatever it was, she was confident that Lanie could find it.

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><p>When they got back up to the bullpen after seeing Lanie, Kate had one of the uniforms take Maeve down to the children's room on the second floor. There was a television so hopefully she wouldn't be too bored. Kate needed to continue her investigation without any distractions, and that included Maeve. But she just couldn't shake that feeling. The one where you know there's something there, you can feel it, but you just can't put your finger on it. But she pushed it to the back of her head. It would have to wait until the case was closed. Plus, she needed to keep her mind busy while she waited for Lanie to get back to her with the test results. Thankfully, that's when the boys showed up.<p>

"Hey, guys. Have you got something?" she asked.

"Oh, we've got something alright. Get this," Esposito began. "Maeve," he said, pausing again, "doesn't exist."

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><p><strong>I hope you guys liked Chapter 1! I had fun writing it! I'll try my best to get Chapter 2 up on Monday because I'm taking care of my two cousins over the weekend while my Uncle and Aunt take care of my new baby cousin. He's so cute! So, anyway, I will try and type it up during Tech and Lunch at school and then I'll try and put it up when I get home. And after that I probably won't get to update until Friday because I have finals all week. Please, tell me what you thought of this chapter. There's a button below. Click it. You won't be sorry… xD<strong>


	3. Chapter 2: An Explanation

**So, here is Chapter 2! If it sounds off, I wrote it differently at first and then I decided it didn't make sense so I changed a part of it and rewrote it straight from typing and didn't write it in my notebook first. So, if anything is wrong, please tell me! -E**

**xD**

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><p>"What do you mean she doesn't exist?" asked Kate.<p>

"Her name didn't come up anywhere," explained Ryan, "no records, certificates, anything."

"The Fitz's exist, just not Maeve," said Esposito, "There's no record of them having a daughter."

"Then why does Maeve think that Darcy is her mother?" she asked.

"We don't know," Ryan began, "but we went deeper and found a match to Maeve's fingerprints. 8 years ago, there had been a fully fledged investigation to find a baby that had been abducted from St. Peter Presbyterian. She had her eyes, hair, birthday, and if you age the photo it would be a perfect match," he said, "Then, we found something really strange. We checked to see if there were any-," he began to say but Beckett cut him off.

"I have to go see Lanie," she said, standing up and walking towards the elevator without another word.

Castle, Esposito, and Ryan watched her walk out. "What was that about?" asked Esposito.

"No clue, but whenever she runs off to see Lanie like that, it's usually something she doesn't want us butting in to," replied Castle. They stood there for a second, doing nothing. Then, he spoke again. "Oh, what did you guys find?" he asked.

"Well, you see, usually when you're looking at record photos, photos from different records are never the same. It's usually very rare. But in this case, the hospital made two copies of the missing kid's record like they do with every child. The kidnappers must've taken one of the files because, as of today, the hospital only has one." He finished and then Ryan picked up from there.

"When we searched records matching the fingerprints from the hospital, we got a match," he said, handing Castle open file. "Sophia Torres. It matched exactly with the hospital's record. The 'parents', Mike and Rosie Torres, worked in the infantry care back in '03. They would've had full access to all entrances and exits and no one would've noticed a nurse walking around with a baby. So, they walked out without any problems. And guess who the Torres family's trusted friends are?" he asked.

Castle thought for a second and then gasped. "No way!" he said.

"Yup, Darcy and James Fitz," confirmed Ryan.

"So, what're we waiting for? Let's go talk to them."

"Sorry, bro, way ahead of you. The Torres' died in a house fire just one year after they took Maeve. Fire fighters combed the place for what started the fire and found their remains. Those were the only remains they'd found, though. So, we're thinking that Darcy and James took to Sophia so much that they set the fire and took her."

"And I thought _I _was the crazy parent," Castle stated.

"When they took Sophia, they didn't create a new record. So, Maeve doesn't exist." He said, going back to his original point.

"Wow, now all we don't know is who killed Darcy."

"Or who Maeve/Sophia's real mother is. But the hospital's records still have the contact information for the baby's original doctor. We called and they're sending their client list over, via email, as we speak." Finished Esposito and he and Ryan did their fist bump-hand shake thing.

"You guys should get paid more."

"Story of my life, bro." he said, "Beckett would've been glad to hear all this. I wonder why she stormed out."

"Well, all she said was that she needed to see Lanie," said Castle.

"I could've gone with her," he began, "I needed to see Lanie too," he said, smiling. Ryan smacked his arm. "Ow," he said playfully.

"You know darn well, she wouldn't have let you," said Castle.

Then, it's probably pretty personal. Come on, the email came in. Let's check those records," Said Ryan, pulling them out of their impending conversation. Shrugging, they turned to the screen and opened the email.

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><p>Kate Beckett climbed out of her car and shut the door. Never in her life had she been this confused. Yes, she's been shocked and surprised before but not like this. But, like everything else she does, she had had to confirm it. And when she walked into Lanie's lab, Kate could see that her expression was enough.<p>

"I've got your tests," Lanie said.

"I already figured it out back at the precinct. But please, shed some life." Beckett replied.

"Sweetie, I didn't know that this situation would ever come back and neither did you. But now that it has, we can't ignore it and you know that."

"I know," she said, "I just sometimes think that I can forget about this and live my life like I intended to. What if it's all just a big mistake and her info was mixed up or maybe the results-," she said beginning to ramble.

"Kate," Lanie stopped her. Beckett looked up at Lanie. "It's her."

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><p>If Richard Castle was confused when Kate stormed out earlier, then he was completely baffled now. His thoughts were all over the place as he entered the medical examiner's office. Lanie was not in the main area of her office when he got there.<p>

"Lanie!" he called out. "Lanie!" he heard a distant voice.

"I'm comin'. I'm comin'. No need to yell." She said, entering the room. "Oh, Castle. Beckett's not here."

"I know," he said.

"You know she's not here or you know, you know?" she asked nervously.

"I know, I know," he replied.

"Oh," she said, "How'd you find out?"

"The boys and I were looking into some old hospital records." He told her. "Where's Kate?" he asked.

"Where do you think?" she replied, "At home. She wouldn't be able to walk into the precinct with people looking at her."

"Thank you, Lanie," he told her, beginning to walk out.

"Mr. Castle, understand that if you upset her, you're going to have to deal with me," she warned.

"Received and understood," he replied, walking out the door.

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><p>Kate had been sitting on her couch for an hour doing absolutely nothing. She didn't know what to do. What <em>would <em>someone do after getting news like that? So, Kate, bored and confused out of her mind, was glad when the doorbell rang. She got up out her seat and opened the door. She then saw Castle with a bag of takeout in his hand.

"Most girls would want ice cream when they're upset. But I know that when it's you, you'd want Tai."

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><p><strong>I hope you liked it! I'm glad I got to put this up before I did my finals. I have my French and English finals tomorrow and I'm freaking out. So, I wanted to get this up before my head exploded. And I'll try to post Chapter 3 on Friday because it's the first day of summer! Yay! Oh, and pretty please review! I haven't gotten one review yet and I'd love you forever if you posted one! Pretty please with Caskett on top! –E xD<strong>


	4. Chapter 3: Story Telling

**Chapter 3! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone because of all of the Story/Author Alerts and Favorites I've been getting! You guys are awesome! And a special shout is in order for phnxgrl for being my first reviewer of the story! Thank you! Love you guys! –E**

**xD**

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><p>"Come on in," she said smiling. He stepped inside and set the bags on the kitchen counter. He then turned around and faced her.<p>

"Do you want to talk about it or do you want to eat and not even mention it because I'm cool with that to?" he asked.

She sighed. "I think if I don't let it out soon, I might explode." He nodded. "Come on," she said and they walked over to the couch and sat down. She took a deep breath and said, "When I was 24, I was pregnant."

"I figured that much," he said.

"Do you want me to tell this story or not?" she asked sternly.

"Sorry, shutting up now," he said, zipping his lips.

"Thank you. Now, I had just gotten out of the academy. So, I wasn't too happy when I found out. But, being a cop, I decided that I didn't want to start my career off by killing something. Plus, I didn't want to leave a kid without a mother because I knew what it felt like. So, I kept it.

"After I had her, though, the doctor came back and said that they'd _misplaced_ her. How do you misplace a baby? So, I refused to sign the release forms and walked out. They'd looked forever. It was the top story. _Missing baby. Child goes missing from hospital. _It's like no matter how hard I tried to get away, it was everywhere I looked.

"Eventually, they stopped looking. For years, I'd always wondered what the hell happened. And now, I might actually be able to find out. She's there. She's in the kid's room at the precinct. After 8 years, she's here. And I'm just so…" she began to say, trying to think of the right word.

"Confused," he suggested, as he was feeling the same. She nodded.

"Yeah, that," she agreed. "It's just, after today, my whole life has changed. I don't know what'll happen in the future. I've always been one to plan things out and this was not part of the plan," she explained.

"Well, neither was getting pregnant," he began, "My point is things just happen. We don't expect them to and when we're not looking, they hit us in the face. Do you remember telling me what your mother used to say?" he asked.

She smiled to herself. "Life never throws something at us that we can't handle." She said and looked at Castle. "Thank you."

He smiled back. "No problem." He assured her. "So, have you told Josh yet?" he asked.

She took a deep breath and let it out. "Can we talk about that later? I'm hungry. There's Thai food in the kitchen calling my name." she said, getting. He stood up as well and followed her into the kitchen.

"Don't you think you should tell your boyfriend about your daughter?" he asked.

She hesitated for a second and then said, "I don't know."

"Well," he said picking up the phone, "There's no harm in trying." He held it in front of her.

She looked at it. "I can't."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because there's probably no cell phone service in Haiti," she suddenly blurt out. He looked at her, confused. "He wanted to go to Haiti so, we decided to break it off. I was going to tell you back at the precinct but things became way too hectic." She admitted.

"I'm sorry, Kate," he said sincerely.

"It's fine," she said, "It was probably for the best anyway. I wouldn't have wanted to explain this to him."

"Well, if you ever need anything," he began, "I'm here. Always," he said with a smile. Not a cocky or goofy smile, but a genuine one.

"Mutual," she said. They both smiled.

"And look on the Brightside," he told her. She raised her eyebrows in anticipation. "You've got someone waiting for you back at the precinct." He finished. She smiled.

"Yeah, I do."

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><p>Back at the precinct, a little while later, Beckett stood in front of the door to the children's room, Castle by her side. "I don't think I can do this," she admitted, staring at the door.<p>

"I'm sure you'll be fine," he encouraged her.

"She's had a pretty rough day. She doesn't need anymore surprises, right?"

"Kate," he began, "You can do this."

She smiled nervously. Looking back at the door, she placed her hand on the handle, turned it slowly, and walked inside, closing the door behind her. Her nervousness went away, however, when she saw Maeve. The television was in the middle of _Lemonade Mouth_ while Maeve, her arm hanging over the side of the couch, was fast asleep. Kate smiled. That's when realization hit her. This is happening. Her daughter was sleeping soundly just feet from her. Her life was changing and she was happy about it. Looking at Maeve, it reminded her so much of when she'd seen her mother watching her sleep even though she wasn't really sleeping at all. Now that she thought about it a little more, her mother had probably known the whole time. Snapping herself out of her thoughts, she realized that she had to do something with the little girl that was passed out on the couch, because that thing wouldn't stay comfy for long. Walking over to Maeve, she slung her backpack over her shoulder. Then, she looked at Maeve, thinking of how she was going to remove her. Finally, she just decided to pick her up like she had back at the apartment. As she did so, Maeve let out a slight groan.

"It's okay. Go back to sleep." She told her. Maeve didn't move the rest of the way towards her car. Kate was glad that Maeve felt comfortable in her arms. Every new thing that she noticed about Maeve made her more confident to tell her. However, it was, in fact, 9 o' clock at night and Kate hadn't even been paying attention to the time. She'd tell her in the morning. But right now, Maeve needed sleep after the long she'd had. And the more that Kate thought about it, so did she.

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><p>Maeve woke up very confused. She didn't know where she was. She didn't recognize the room at all. She knew she wasn't at home because she remembered what had happened yesterday. Her house was now a crime scene. Her mother was dead and she had no one to take care of her. So, where was she? How did she end up here? The last thing she remembered was watching TV at the precinct. She remembered Richard Castle and the heart he drew on her hand. She remembered a doctor putting a stick in her mouth. She also remembered Detective Beckett and nice she was when she first met her. Curious, Maeve decided to get up out of the big bed she had been sleeping in and take a look around. It was a nice room. The walls were light green and there was a polished wood floor beneath her feet. She saw the door in front of her and pushed it open. Now, she was in a hallway. The hallway was dark but she saw light at the end of it and walked further. She came to stairs when she noticed the kitchen below. On one of the tall chairs sat Detective Beckett with an open folder in front of her, asleep in an upright position. Maeve walked downstairs and into the kitchen, hopping up on one of the seats next to her. She just watched her for a second. She didn't know whether to wake her up or not. So, Maeve raised her hand and poked her on her arm, softly. She repeated the action a couple of more times until Kate's eyes slowly opened.<p>

"Oh, Maeve, hi," she said.

"What am I doing here?" she asked

"Well, you fell asleep in the kid's room. So, I took you to my house because you needed some sleep. You had a big day."

Maeve looked at the folder that was sitting in front of Kate. "Who's that?" she asked, pointing to the picture. Kate smiled.

"That's my mom," she replied.

Maeve smiled. "She's pretty."

"Yeah, she is," Kate said, looking at the picture.

"Am I ever going to get to go home?" she asked. I was a nice house but she wanted to go home.

Kate looked at her for a second. "Come here, I've got to tell you something." She told her, holding out her hand. Maeve took it and they walked over to the couch and sat down. She looked at Kate when she began to speak. "8 years ago, there was an incident at a hospital. Someone had taken a baby from the newborn unit. The people that took her worked there. No one knows why they did it but they did. And they raised her for a year before their friends took her and set the house on fire. The first people that had taken her died. And because the baby was only one year old, she never knew. So, she grew up without knowing her mother wasn't really her mother." She explained.

"Did she ever find out?" Maeve asked hopefully.

"Well, that all depends on you." She said. Maeve sat and thought for a moment. Why did it depend on her? What did she have to do with this? Then, it hit her. She was smart. She could figure it out.

"Is that me?" she asked. "Am I that baby?" Kate nodded. "My mom wasn't my mom?" She nodded again. "A lot of things are starting to make sense now." She said. "Then, if she's not my mom, who is?"

"Let me show you something." Kate stood up and walked away. She came back a moment later with a piece of paper.

"What's that?" Maeve asked as Kate sat back down.

"Have you ever seen one of these before?" she asked, holding up the piece of paper. It had a bunch of black and white lines on it, like marble cake. Maeve shook her head. "It's a picture of you," she said.

Maeve looked at her confused. "No, it's not. It's a bunch of lines," she said. Kate smiled.

"Look," she began, "This is your head." Kate pointed to a big, round part of the picture. "This is your nose." She pointed to another part. "And these are fingers."

"Can I see it?" Maeve asked. Kate nodded and handed her the photo. "Why do I look so small?" she asked, looking up.

"You weren't born yet." Kate said. Maeve looked back at the photo and then back up.

"Why did they take me?" she asked.

"We don't know yet." Maeve sat in silence for a moment and thought, _Who would take a child from someone? It's just cruel, _which brought her back to one more question.

"Who's my real mom?" She saw Kate close her eyes for a moment, just a moment, and then open them again.

She took a deep breath and said, "Me."

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><p><strong>Yay! I posted the chapter on the intended day! Anyway, I will have much more time to write because, where I am, SCHOOL'S OUT! It just got out yesterday. So, I'll post as much as I can. I'm still in the middle of writing chapter 4. So, I will try my absolute best to get it up on, maybe, Sunday. But if I get it up on Monday or early Tuesday, don't hate me! I was so happy when I got my first review! I was jumping up and down with joy! Who wants to be the next person to make me jump? You? You? Or maybe you? Pretty please! I love you guys! You're the best! xD -E<strong>


	5. Chapter 4: My Eyes Are Shut

**Hey guys! I've had writers block all weekend! It's insane! I literally just finished this Chapter yesterday. I think Pirates of the Caribbean put my head back in place. I'm officially a pirate now! I love it. They are such good movies! Anyway, back on the Caskett band wagon for this chapter! I'm not really sure about this one so I'd like to hear what you think. This chapter is kind of like a bridge to the better chapter. I needed to make way for the really good one. So, it's kind of just to keep you busy. Enjoy! xD –E**

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><p>Kate didn't know how Maeve would take the news. But after hours of questions, she was sure this wouldn't be as hard as she thought. And now, after watching a movie, Maeve's head now lay on her lap and she was asleep. Kate sat running her fingers over her daughter's hair. She couldn't believe that she had been in such a terrible family. If what had happened 8 years ago hadn't happened, then she wouldn't have had to go through any of that. How could someone do something so horrible to a little girl? She was startled from her thoughts with a knock at the door. She didn't want to wake Maeve by moving. Plus, she liked it and didn't want to move herself.<p>

"Who is it?" she called out, making sure it wasn't loud enough to wake her but still loud enough for the person on the other side of the door to hear.

"Castle," said the voice on the other side of the door.

"Come in," she replied. The door opened and she saw him step inside.

"How'd it go?" he asked, walking towards her.

"Pretty well," she said, "8 year olds ask a lot of questions." He smiled.

"Yeah, Alexis wouldn't have a single moment of pure silence when she was that age. I think that was around the time I decided to buy her _The Big Book of 'Did You Knows'_." She laughed.

"I'll have to remember that title for future reference," she joked as Castle walked over to the nearest chair and sat down. He looked at Maeve.

"She must be tired," he said.

"She's had a long day."

He nodded. "I think we've all had a long day. Another thing, I told Ryan and Esposito not to say anything about this. They were very cooperative."

"Well, that was nice of them," she paused, "So, how much did you pay them?"

"About 50 bucks each," he said.

She smiled. "Thought so," she said. Kate checked her watch. "Oh, I have to make dinner."

"No, you don't," he said, standing up, "Because I'm going to go get some Thai."

"You don't have to do that," she began, watching him walk towards the apartment door. "Plus, that's Thai two nights in row."

He opened the door and poked his head through one more time. "Oh please, like that's the first time that's happened," he stated. She smiled and rolled her eyes as he shut the door.

She then looked down at Maeve, smiled, and picked up the remote, pressing play to restart the movie again. Honestly, she could watch Pirates of the Caribbean a million times and never get bored of it. Then, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

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><p>Richard Castle reached into his pocket and took the key that Beckett had lent him before he left. He inserted it into the lock and turned the doorknob. When he walked inside, he smiled. There sat Beckett, Maeve's head still in her lap, asleep. He wanted so badly to take a picture but he knew she would kill him if he did. Although it looked very sweet, it also looked rather uncomfortable. He set the food down in the kitchen, walked back over to the girls, and lifted Maeve off of the couch, careful not to wake her. She was so small. He brought her upstairs and into Kate's room. After gently placing her on the bed, he pulled the covers over her tiny figure and brushed the hair out of her face. She looked just like her mother. She had Kate's hair, her long eyelashes, and even her adorable nose. Smiling, he stood up and walked back down to Kate. He didn't want to leave her sleeping sitting up. He'd imagined that she didn't get much sleep last night, probably because she was either busy with the case or thinking of how her conversation with Maeve was going to go. Either way, she needed sleep. He placed a pillow that he took from the chair he had been sitting in at the end of the couch. Then, he lay her head down on it carefully and placed a blanket that he had found nearby over her. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping. He smiled as he realized he'd never actually seen her sleep in the three years that they'd known each other. He thought she was cute when she slept. She didn't make a single sound or movement. She just lay there.<p>

He smiled again and walked back to the kitchen to get the food he had gotten for himself. When he put his together, he put Kate's in the fridge if she wanted it later. Then, he sat at the kitchen island, ate his dinner, and thought about how much life has changed for her in the past day and a half. There were a lot of things that she needed to think about. But if she needed anything, anything at all, she could always go to him. He'd never turn her away.

Maeve was a special little girl. She was sophisticated like her mother and, of course, just as stubborn. Come to think of it, whenever he looked at Maeve, he would always see a little part of Kate looking back. He loved everything about Kate Beckett. Sure, she had flaws, but he never saw them like that. He would see them as something new to be learned about her. He was so close to solving the mystery that was Katherine Beckett, so close to him possibly taking a chance with her. He loved her and adding Maeve to that mix just made it that much better. After he'd finished eating, he walked back over to his chair in the living room, realizing that he was a little tired himself. And when he sat down, his body agreed with him and let him drift off to sleep.

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><p>The next morning, what woke Castle up wasn't the noisy New York traffic down below, but something soft and fluffy hitting him in the face. He slowly opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the morning light. He'd thought the thrower of said fluffy object would be Kate after realizing that he'd slept on her chair all night and probably wanted an explanation. But when his eyes were fully functioning again, he saw that it wasn't Kate who'd thrown the, what he saw now to be, elephant, but Maeve. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Um, hi," he said, unsure as to why he had been assaulted with a stuffed animal.<p>

"Hi," she replied, "Breakfast is ready."

"Oh, okay. But, um, why was I awoken at the hands of dumbo down there?" he asked, pointing to the elephant on the floor.

Maeve smiled. "Mom and I were talking about how to wake you up. She said that this would be her favorite and that I could do the honors."

He smiled sarcastically and nodded. "Okay, lead the way," he stated. She giggled and took his hand, leading him towards the kitchen.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," she greeted him. He looked up to see Kate standing there.

"Oh, so you've noticed," he said jokingly. She rolled her eyes. "Where's the food? Maeve said that breakfast was ready."

"Yeah," she began, "ready to be picked up." He mouthed a long 'Oh' and sat on one of the chairs.

"So, where are we going?" he asked.

"Farmer's Market," she replied. "I figured it'd be nice to have something healthy," she paused, "especially because I didn't have dinner last night."

"Hey, it's your own fault that you fell asleep on the couch." She rolled her eyes again.

"Well, you didn't have to stay."

"But I wanted to," he said sincerely. She smiled softly. "I could always stay here while you go get the food."

"And let you ransack my house looking for photo albums? I don't think so. You either go home or you come with us." She told him.

"Well, it's either spending the morning at the farmer's market the two of you or spending the morning listening to my mother rattle on about her golden days. Hmm, I'm going to go with the dirty farmer's market."

"Wow, you really do have high standards, don't you?" she asked sarcastically. He smiled with a look of haughty derision. "So, I take it you're coming with us then?"

"Yes, I would think the sarcasm would've made that point." He said.

"May I say something?" They turned to their right and realized that, yes, Maeve was still indeed standing next to them. They both nodded. "You guys go back and forth a lot. You know, verbally."

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><p><strong>I hope you liked it. That was courtesy of 4 days of writer's block. The next chapter will be way better and have more drama near the end. Please review! Even though this wasn't my best chapter! Thank you! Love ya! xD –E<strong>


	6. Hiatus

Hey guys! So, I have to tell you something. You can imagine that turning your life around is tough business. My grades weren't too good last year and I want SO BADLY to get into a good college in 3 years when I get out of High School. To do that, I need to focus purely on school and my education. I know it's summer vacation but for a while, I've always had trouble getting things in order, organization, and finishing things I've started. So, if I'm going to get myself back into shape in those areas, I'm going to have to start early to get myself going. I'm not known for finishing my stories but I promise, once I get myself back on track, I WILL finish them. I love and respect you guys too much to leave you hanging. But I care SO MUCH about my future and if it's going to happen then I can't just sit around waiting for it too. Once I feel that I can concentrate on school and other things at the same time, then I promise to resume Layers, Fluffy Goodness, and Unfluffy Goodness. I love writing and I wouldn't give it up. Plus, I have so much planned for them and I WANT to finish them. So, I promise AND swear on Beckett's life (after watching that season finale) that I will be back. You have my word. You guys have been so amazing and I hope that you'll stay with me and be here when I get back. Thank you for being there! I love you guys so much! You are all amazing and I'm honored to have fans as great as you! I hope you understand. Thank you! xD –E


	7. Author's Note PLEASE READ!

**A/N: I know. This probably pissed you off when you saw a new chapter up and it ended up being an Author's Note. Trust me; it pisses me off all the time too! Ha-ha Anyway, onto our first order of business. There are only 11 more days of school left! Well, for me, anyway. LOL so, until then, I will not be posting any chapters until then. Please don't yell at me! LOL it's just I have this monstrous load of late work that I have to turn in now because I was too busy writing all THIS for YOU! But don't fret. It's not your fault! I just found out I have ADD so, technically it's my body chemistry's fault. Ha-ha after that, I will be going to New York on the 14****th**** for a Family Reunion so I'm SOOOOOO excited about that! During my… *counts fingers* Twelve hour plane ride, I will have nothing to do but write! So, you will have plenty of new chapters throughout the summer. Speaking of summer…**

**What will you guys be doing for yours? I've thought up a summer plan that I might use and here it is:**

**~Tutor English (I got a score of 446 out of 450 on my California High School Exit Exam! 4 points from perfect!)**

**~Get a summer job (I was thinking, maybe, a clothing store…)**

**~Take singing lessons (I want to be a singer so, I'm going to need those…)**

**~Learn to Skateboard (Hey, why not, right?)**

**~Take Archery (Again: Why not?)**

**~Study for Honors Pre-Calculus that I am taking next year.**

**~Write tons for you guys! (You know I love you! LOL)**

**Yeah, so it's a lot. Ha-ha but you guys get where I'm coming from, right? I want to try new things! LOL so, **_**Layers **_**will continue in a few weeks. This time, I promise! I am now going to be dedicated to get my mind out of the fracking writer's rut it's been in concerning this story. So, watch for it! Happy End-Of-School-Year and I love you all! Hearts! ~E**


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